As of the beginning of May, there were more than 1 billion users of Facebook. With the population of the world at more than 7 billion people, about 15% of the world's population is on Facebook, making it the most widely used social media site today. Even if you're not on it, you're sure to know someone who is.

As a form of internet communication, Facebook offers members and their "friends" a way to share information, photos, political and social views and publicize events. In recent years, Facebook has been utilized frequently by businesses, public figures, and nonprofits for publicity and communication with their fans.

For those who haven't started on Facebook yet, local social media and internet marketing professionals Adam Shake and Tony Bielat are offering the Social Media Summer Series on four consecutive Wednesdays beginning June 19 in Estes Park.

"We believe there's a lot of interest in social media and Facebook in particular," Shake said. In his business, Neanderthal Productions, Shake specializes in social media management for celebrities, nonprofits, and small businesses. He manages social media sites and provides training and consulting on the subject.

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There are two workshops in the series: Facebook 101 for personal use will be held Wednesday mornings, June 19, 26 and July, 3, 10, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in four individual sessions; and, Facebook 201 for small businesses will be held in the afternoons from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on the same days. The classes will be held at 800 Moraine Avenue and the cost is $49 per session; Estes Park residents qualify for 10 percent off. There are discounts for those over 62 and active military personnel. Children under 19 are free with an accompanying paying adult.

"The primary audience is for these workshops is summer guests, summer Estes Park residents, and local business owners," Shake said.

Shake and Bielat will be teaching the class with two laptop projections - one screen to show the action and the other to show the result. "When we cover photo tagging, for example," Bielat explained, "one screen we'll show how to tag an individual in a photo. The other screen will show that person's timeline and how the post automatically appears."

Bielat, a marketing/communications professional, owns and operates Estes Park Marketing which specializes in internet marketing and branding. He consults businesses on how to leverage and integrate their websites with local search, social media, pay per click advertising, and search engine optimization.

The class will also address privacy and security concerns. "Security is a legitimate concern - every individual has a different comfort level with what's out there about their private lives," Bielat said, "Facebook has a number of controls to help users define who sees their posts and their individual information."

Along with personal use, Shake is a big advocate of Facebook for businesses. "From a small business perspective, Facebook is a critical marketing tool," he said. "For example, Facebook is now integrated with Trip Advisor, which is an important tool for travelers booking vacations or travel. Trip Advisor users can now see which lodges or restaurants their Facebook friends have visited and liked.

"As more of these mega-websites integrate with Facebook, business owners will want to make sure they're well represented on Facebook so that they can take full advantage of these website partnerships."

Online registration for the classes begin Wednesday, June 12, at DigitalMarketingWest.com; or, you can call Adam Shake at 703-927-0592 or Tony Bielat at 970-586-4343.

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